Chad Harbach's "The Brightness" Revisits Westish College in a Metafictional Sequel to "The Art of Fielding"
Chad Harbach's second book, "The Brightness" (Little, Brown), serves as a metafictional sequel to his 2011 work, "The Art of Fielding," spanning nearly seven hundred pages. The story unfolds over several late-summer days in 2015, centering on Pella, a recently engaged divorcée organizing Owen's wedding, and Irma, a scholarship student about to begin her senior year at Westish College. During the wedding, Pella's engagement falls apart, while Irma orchestrates a campus prank that draws attention to sexual assault. This prank gains widespread attention, even reaching Fox News host Hunter Stroman, and prompts Lana Del Rey to don a "FREE DAHLIA" sweatshirt, resulting in the suspension of prankster Dahlia. The narrative delves into the repercussions over nine months leading up to a reunion, critiquing campus dynamics.
Key facts
- "The Brightness" is published by Little, Brown and runs nearly seven hundred pages.
- The novel is a metafictional sequel to Harbach's 2011 debut, "The Art of Fielding."
- The bulk of the plot unfolds over a few late-summer days in 2015 at Westish College in Wisconsin.
- Irma's prank involves temporary "RAPE VICTIM" tattoos applied to unconscious athletes and a manifesto signed by the Witches of Westish.
- A viral video and a Fox News appearance by host Hunter Stroman turn the protest into a national story.
- Lana Del Rey appears wearing a "FREE DAHLIA" sweatshirt in the novel.
- The review contends Owen's book would be read as autofiction akin to Karl Ove Knausgaard rather than old-fashioned realism.
- The review cites Edith Wharton, "Anna Karenina," and Wharton's story "The Pelican" as Harbach's fictional models.
Entities
Artists
- Chad Harbach
- Edith Wharton
- Karl Ove Knausgaard
- Lana Del Rey
- Tucker Carlson
- Henry Skrimshander
- Pella
- Irma
- Owen
- Dahlia
- Sylvie
- Hunter Stroman
Institutions
- Little, Brown
- Westish College
- Fox News
- Vice
- Girls
- The New Yorker
- The New York Times
- Jezebel
- The Hairpin
- The Brightness
- SoHo Review
- Termagant
- Napkin
Locations
- Wisconsin
- United States
- New York